Lamp socket



Sept. 10, 1946 H.J.MCCAR'THY. 2 4 7,56

LAMP SOCKET Filed March 9, 1943 INVENTOR. HENRY J. F'lCARTH'Y ATTORN E Y Patented Sept. 10, 194s LAMP SOCKET Henry J. McCarthy, Danvers, Mass, assignor to SylvaniaElectric Products Inc., Salem, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application March 9, 1943, Serial No. 478,576

This invention relates to supporting devices and has particular reference to sockets for mounting lamps.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved lamp socket assembly.

Another object is to provide an improved socket for elongated fluorescent lamps.

Further objects, advantages and features will be apparent from the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure l is a front elevation of a socket in'an illustrative embodiment of this invention;

Figure 2 ma rear elevation of the socket of Figure 1, with one of the contact fingers removed;

Figure 3 is a plan view of an assembly member to be used with the socket of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an isometric View of the front of an assembly of the structures of Figures 1 and 3 without the contact fingers;

Figure 5 is an isometric view of the rear of an assembly like that of Figure 4 and including a portion of a backing plate; and

Figure 6 is an illustration of the use of a pair of such sockets in supporting a fluorescent lamp.

The socket and assembly shown and described in illustration of this invention is of the type used as supports and connectors for elongated tubular fluorescent lamps.

lClaim. (01.173-328) '2 i side walls of "the body I. They maybe removed by removing cover plate 2 and pulling ,them straight back outof their recesses.

Abutments 8 and I prevent downward movement of the fingers 3, abutments 9 and the inward taper of the base H) of the body l. prevent back cover 2 maybe set in flush with the rear edge surfaces of the side walls of the body l.

Electrical connection fromthe fingers 3 to associated apparatus may be accomplished by securing connecting wires to the connecting screws 12 mounted in the lower portions of fingers 3 as in Figures 1 and 2. Arch openings 13 are formed in the socket I to provide an exit for such connecting wires.

The mounting of the sockets I may be accomv plished as illustrated in Figure 6. Sockets I are The main body l and the back cover plate 2 (Figure 5) are formed of suitable electrically insulating material. The electrical connection of the lamp through the socket is made by engaging the contact pins of the lamp base with resilient contact fingers 3 mounted in the rear recess, of the socket body I. The base pins are clamped between the fingers 3 in the socket body I (see dotted forms 4 in Figure 1). In order to facilitater this clamping action, steps 5 are formed in the fingers 3.

As in Figure 2, the fingers 3 extend downwardly in the socket body 1 within the recess formed in the back thereof. One of the fingers has bee omitted in the illustration of Figure 2 to show the recess formation more clearly. The fingers 3 are each held in place by the combination of re silient engagement with abutments 6 and l; the

lateral confining effect of a central wall 8 in the joined by a reflector plate i4, secured to each socket through a connection l5 to a mounting plate [6 (Figure 3), utilizing opening ll of plate IS. A lamp I8 may then be mounted between the sockets l as in Figure 6.

The mounting plate [6 is preferably formed of metal and extends through the socket i from front to back, with amounting shelf portion I9 extending forwardly of the socket to support the reflector l4, and with a reduced portion 29 lying in opening 2! extending through socket l. The rear extremity of the reduced portion 2% is provided with assembly fingers 22 which extend through an opening 23 (Figure 5) in the back plate 2, and then are bent laterally and oppositely to clamp the back plate 2 in position and also so as to use the back plate 2 as an anchor for the mounting plate it. Opening 2! is formed with horizontal wing extensions 2 which contain the reduced portion Ziil of the mounting plate it. A partial support is provided for the mounting shelf is by the shoulder 25 formed in the socket I. 1

The upper portion of the socket i is formed with a view to supporting a lamp by receiving and holding the base pins l thereof and with a view to facilitating insertion and removal of these pins.

As may be seen in Figure 1, an opening 25 in the form of a truncated isosceles triangle, is provided in the front face of socket l, and when Q the lamp [9 is mounted by the sockets, as in Figure 6, the base pins 4 extend through the opening 26. In order to facilitate assembly and disassembly of the lamp l8 and the sockets l, a slot 21 is formed in the top of the socket I, and this slot connects directly with the opening 25 so thatthe lamp l8 and the sockets I may be assembled or. disassembled by moving the pins '5 ,into or out of the opening 26 by .way of the slot 21.

Directly beneath the slot 21 is a platform 2e,

the top of the vertical wall 8, in horizontal align- J 'ment with the lower edge of the triangular open- 7 ing 26, and the opening 26 is provided with side walls 29. The platform 28 and side Walls 29'act as cam surfaces against which the pins 4 bear D as they are moved in the opening 26.

The top of the socket is provided with strengthening portion 30 extending rearwardly of the socket. This may be used as a locating member to position the socket in a support and/or may be used as a spacer member in mounting the socket in a support. 7

opening in the upper portion of the front wall 7 of said body and communicating with said recess, a pair of spaced metallic resilient contact fingers anchored in the base of said socket and extending into position to be engaged by the lamp 15- base pins, a back plate for closing said chamber and a metallic mounting plate having an elongated portion extending through the socket and back plate, and a forwardly extending mounting shelf and retaining means on the outer end of said elongated portion engaging and securing said back plate to the socket; l

HENRY JQMCoA 'rHYL 

